‘We, with the dreaded virus, got a lesson in love and compassion’

A retired WA couple with coronavirus were overwhelmed by the kindness of Uruguay’s people.

Jesz and Madge Fleming, of Denmark, Western Australia, 460km southeast of Perth, celebrate their return to Australia after being trapped with coronavirus on board the luxury expedition cruiser MV Greg Mortimer. Picture: Supplied

Retired civil engineer Jesz Fleming, from the south coast WA town of Denmark, 460km from Perth, was extracted from the Greg Mortimer in full protective gear on April 5 and taken to the Hospital Montevideo. Mr Fleming was overwhelmed by the kindness he was shown by the doctors and nurses there. On the charter flight home with his wife Madge, a retired teacher who also has COVID-19, he penned this letter to his family and friends, expressing his heartfelt thanks to Uruguay:

Dear family and friends,

Writing this as I sit beside Madge, holding her hand, and celebrating life, and “If you go away” is playing on my headphones, a powerful song, and beautifully sung. It initiated this letter, high above the Pacific Ocean on a Airbus340 operated by HiFly, a Portuguese company.

We left Montevideo about 6 hours ago in a fanfare of publicity and elation from the community. Madge told me how people were waving and cheering them on as she watched from one of four coaches taking them from the port to the aircraft, the wonderful people of Montevideo. My ride out by ambulance was more sedentary, strapped into a wheelchair, but on leaving Hospital Britanico in the suburbs of Montevideo the staff collected at the foyer to photograph me and to have photos taken with me, genuine joy to see me return home.

The Uruguayan government has been incredible, compassionate, indeed it made me think on the meaning of “love thy neighbour”. Everyone on-board the Greg Mortimer has made similar comments, how they came on to the ship to test us for coronavirus and then took some of us ashore to look after us.

We, strangers (indeed foreigners) with the dreaded virus, were being given a lesson in the meaning of love and compassion. I wrote to the hospital in Spanish (thank you Google) thanking them and telling them that I was not in “isolation”, far from it, I was being looked after as one of their family. I was relaxed, enjoying their hospitality and dedicated care, but extremely conscious of what was happening around the world.

NY State has more coronavirus cases than any COUNTRY in the World! Mass graves in NY, in the “wealthiest” country in the world. The ratio of black v white deaths in the USA clearly articulates a related but separate issue.

Uruguay is a very small country, with a population of just over 4m people. Boy, has it got a heart.

We’re all masked up on board, 100-odd Australians and about 10 Kiwis, have had a boxed meal, and the next phase is a fortnight in Melbourne in isolation. The guy 4 seats away (everyone except Madge and me is separated by an empty seat) has been given oxygen. He, like me, came by ambulance, the on-board doctor checking us out periodically. He’s just given me the thumbs up signal.

I’ve tried to keep you up to date with this roller coaster ride, not at all easy with, at times, a faltering internet. Apologies for when I failed to include you.

Our communication was using WhatsApp, a site for all on-board passengers (if they chose to join), one for our Denmark group, and the usual family one etc. Daily detailed letters from Aurora, messages from Therese at the Australian BA Embassy (read DFAT), messages over the speaker from our Expedition Leader Flo, from staff and from the Swedish Captain, certainly no shortage of information.

Despite that there were those who weren’t satisfied. I kept my council as social media can be as much an evil as it can be a saviour. I relayed privately to Madge that some needed a valium or two! Sir Ernest Shackleton would not have been impressed. In our cabin isolation one needs to acknowledge that some passengers are indeed pretty stressed and unable to see a cup half full. It manifests itself in different ways, such as in silence.

One sad thing is that Graham and Rose (part of our Denmark group) were not able to join us, as Rose’s respiratory issues didn’t improve sufficiently. Sad indeed, but Graham is an upbeat and resilient guy.

Reflecting on this experience, note, not an ordeal, we have learnt much, much of it quite different from what we had anticipated. We didn’t get to stand at my hero Sir Ernest Shackleton’s grave on South Georgia nor walk through Stanley in the Falklands. The Peninsula where we visited has already started to freeze over and penguins, seals and whales continue with life as they have done for millions of years, coronavirus isn’t on their radar.

I will finish off with Madge’s post on the ship What’sApp, after the ship had berthed. It surprised me, sitting on my hospital bed awaiting my journey home: Quote Madge: “It may not have been the trip we imagined, but it is an experience that I am glad that I was part of. I learnt about resilience, the human spirit, the joy of laughter with old and new friends. I learnt a lot about myself too, that I am stronger than I believed. Good luck everyone, I will never forget our shared experience!.” Phew Madge.

Second box has just arrived, thank you Aurora, Aurora Insurers, DFAT, Uruguayan government and you, our family and friends, for all your support. Melbourne here we come. When you receive this, it will mean that we will have landed!

Cheers Jesz